The Ones We Miss
by Dew007
Summary: Jack obviously was not in the mood to talk and Teal'c seemed to be in the same funk. Daniel had to admit, missions without Sam generally…sucked…he concluded. S/J but in cannon, to the best of my abilities.


**AN:** This story popped into my head while working on Haldore, hence the reason Nekah is here and Sam's injuries do vary from those actually acquired in that, story, but who cares? This is one that really has my attention right now. To those of you waiting on an update for Two Weeks I can honestly say you will have another LONG chapter in a few days. Enjoy for now.

**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever owned or claimed to own any part of Stargate, but if I could have just one piece it would have to be O'Neill…*sigh*

**Chapter 1 – Restless Nights**

They stood at the bottom of the ramp as the gated dialed before them. Carter was propped up on a set of crutches smiling as Jack chastised Daniel about leaving behind some 'very important' rock in the village. Daniel rolled his eyes apologizing once again with an exaggerated shrug and hand gesture. Jack spun on his heels to face Sam.

"SO…you sure don't want to just hobble on up the ramp with us?" the amusement in his voice earned a glare from her.

"Right…the whole traversing the side of the mountain thing…" Sam smirked as his face twisted in thought and he nodded.

"Yes, I could see that being a problem…well then…hold down the fort." He smiled patting her shoulder gently as the gate flashed to life casting a blue glow throughout the gate room.

"Hammond, Carter, Siler…Simmons, Walter…people…" Jack rambled as they walked up the ramp and disappeared through the open wormhole. Daniel paused at the event horizon and turned back to the gate room. Sam was smiling, no doubt thinking how bored Jack was going to be as indicated by his rambling as he departed.

"We'll be back before you know it!"

"Just wish I was coming along Daniel." They nodded to each other and Daniel stepped through the gate. Approximately five seconds later it disengaged and everyone set off in their own directions. Siler went back to working on the locks holding the gate in place and Hammond retreated to his office.

Sam sighed looking down at her leg that was the reason behind the crutches. Her left ankle was fractured but was in a solid brace, her right leg was shattered in several places, the most painful being just below her knee. The injury had required surgery and a steel plate and screws now held the bones firmly in place. For a moment she wondered if she would actually be able to return to active duty, right now it seemed like a distant dream.

"Sam! C'mon we've got it working!" the familiar voice caught her attention and she realized she was still standing in the center of the gate room. Nekah bound up to her excitedly.

"I will be honest with you; if it works properly there will be…"

"I know Nekah…just a question but why can't y'all create something that helps with pain instead of just increasing it?" Sam let a playful smile claim her lips and Nekah shrugged wearing a signature O'Neill grin, something she had undoubtedly picked up from the Colonel. She put her weight on the braced ankle and slid the crutches out in front of her and swung her body to catch up as they started towards the infirmary.

Once they entered the private room Sam took a seat on the bed and pulled herself onto it. Nekah had broken off to find Janet. Sam reached down and removed the brace from her ankle, it had been a little over two weeks since she had returned from that mission. She had received the most injuries. Teal'c and Daniel had minor cuts and scrapes. Jack had been grazed by a bullet, but she had managed to make herself useless on both legs. She growled as the thoughts crept back in her head, she knew it wasn't her fault and it certainly wasn't any fault of the guys. She ran her fingers over the bruised skin of her ankle.

….

They walked for what seemed like forever. Daniel was quiet; he knew Jack was in no way happy with the idea of being back on P5R 728. It was a quiet planet, there had been no threat and the locals seemed not to care about their presence. They welcomed the team and allowed them to stay around the village. They didn't show any signs of annoyance as Daniel poked around their historical sites and bombarded them with questions about their culture which seemed to be based on an early form of Hinduism.

_Jack lagged behind as Daniel gawked at the temple before them. He was rambling and once again Jack found himself not caring. The temple was made of stone, the color of sand. Intricate carvings and statues scattered the entrance in an organized but chaotic sense. Jack waved him on as Daniel bounced on his feet eager to enter the holy place._

"_Go with him Teal'c, keep him out of trouble." He mumbled and Teal'c bowed his head in respect and followed Daniel up the steps._

_Jack did a check of the perimeter and finding all was well he sighed and took a seat on what he could only guess had once been a statue of a cow._

"_Bet you've seen better days huh Bessie?" he smirked relaxing the P90 on his leg which was propped on the rump of the statue. Rustling caught his attention and he snapped up, alert and his gun aimed towards the sound._

_Three people stepped out of the trees. They were all similar in complexion, dark skinned and black hair. Jack cocked his head to the side; they closely resembled the Indian cultures of Earth._

"_Hey Daniel…why don't you come out here…" He watched them curiously as they approached, their hands clasped together and bowing with each step, they were chanting 'Namaste, Namaste.' Jack really didn't know what to do so he mimicked them, putting his hands together._

"_Namaste." He said and they dropped to their knees before him touching his boots eagerly. He jumped back swinging ad arm for them to stop._

"_Yeah those are mine…"_

"_They are showing you submission Jack." Daniel explained as he jogged down the steps and the process began with Daniel._

"_And why are they doing that?" Jack questioned, his arms open as he turned to face Daniel._

"_They appear to worship an early form of Hinduism. There are symbols all over the walls inside that resemble ones I've seen on Earth."_

"_Fascinating…"Jack's sarcasm was evident as he backed away from the people. "Now explain to them that we're just peaceful explorers and that this is all really unnecessary."_

Teal'c had apparently stepped on a rather large branch as it cracked loud enough to pull Jack from his thoughts. He hadn't realized they were already at the temple. He let his eyes drift to the sky, it was getting dark quick. One thing he didn't like about this planet was the nights. They were quick but they were moonless. He sighed and poked Daniel with the stick he had been using to mindlessly whack at weeds during their trek.

"So, looks like we're spending the night Space Monkey."

Once camp was made they had settled down to eat. It was a quiet meal. Jack obviously was not in the mood to talk and Teal'c seemed to be in the same funk. Daniel had to admit, missions without Sam generally…sucked…he concluded. She could usually get a conversation going and at the very least get Jack to relax and smile. She also gave Daniel someone to talk 'nerd' with, as Jack had put it one night.

"Well think it's time to turn in kids." Jack stuffed the empty MRE packs in his bag and slung it to the side.

Daniel and Teal'c did the same. They rolled out their sleeping bags and Jack left a noticeable gap between his and Daniel's. That's where Sam usually slept. He stared at the spot a moment as if waiting for her to appear and lay out her bag next to his. Daniel cleared his throat catching Jack's gaze and attention.

"Do I smell or something Jack?" Daniel's attempt at humor quickly backfired.

"As a matter of fact you do Daniel." He stated in a painfully serious tone.

"Wha…?" was all Daniel could manage and Jack smiled at the goldfish face Daniel now made in disbelief.

"I do not smell anything O'Neill." Teal'c stated from Daniel's side.

"He stinks T… You seriously don't smell that?"

"No, I do not."

"Oh really Jack? What do I smell like then?"

"Geek, Daniel. You reek of geek." The grin that spread over Jack's lips made Daniel growl somewhat annoyed that he had taken the older man serious, if only for a slight moment.

"By the way, all those that smell of geek have first watch tonight." He smiled and rolled into his sleeping bag.

….

Jack was restless, his sleeping bag seemed too confining and he began to thrash his way out of it. Daniel had snuck off about thirty minutes after they turned in, no doubt to wander the temple once more. He glanced over to make sure his fight with the bag hadn't alerted Teal'c. He watched his friend 'sleeping' soundly across from him. Jack sighed and closed his eyes, trying hard to focus on the memory of the sound he so desperately needed.

_Sam was fast asleep. She looked so peaceful, so innocent. The orange glow of the fire flickered over her skin. He couldn't help but notice how soft her face was in the dim light. He watched the rise and fall of her chest and the slight quirk of her lips as she dreamed._

_For a moment he dared to hope it was him she was dreaming of. That he was the one responsible for the hint of a smile that played at the corners of her mouth. He laid back and closed his eyes focusing on the gentle rhythm of her breathing. She was barely a foot away from him and he could hear her clearly. He smiled as his body finally relaxed. Even if it wasn't him putting that smile on her face in her dreams, she would be the one to blame for the smile on his._

….

Sam sat quietly rubbing her hands over her ankle. The device Nekah had fixed seemed to be doing the job. The fracture was almost gone but she was still required to wear the brace and she could still feel the pain. This was something familiar with the medicine and machines of Nekah's people. It would dull in the next few hours as her body adjusted and learned that it was healing.

She glanced over at the clock and sighed. _0130 really? That's all?_ She couldn't sleep. It was way too quiet. Her private quarters could be great when she needed the peace, the alone time, but right now they felt like a cell. She looked over the cast on her right leg and ran her fingers over the hard surface. Tomorrow Janet planned to cut the cast and try Nekah's device on that leg. While the thought of a shortened healing time was nice, it still didn't do much for the fact that she would have to go back under to have the screws and plate removed, if all went well anyways.

Sam smiled tracing the names and drawings on her cast. Once in particular made her grin and she laid back, twisting herself beneath the sheets.

"_Aw c'mon Carter…I haven't drawn on someone's cast since…well forever."_

"_Sir, it's hardly appropriate." Sam chided. She was sitting up in her infirmary bed, pillows propped behind her and a sling holding the broken leg in an elevated position. Jack pouted and looked over at her, she could have died at the look those beautiful chocolate eyes were giving her. Was he seriously giving her the sad puppy look? Yes, yes he was, and damn it was working. Sam sighed and that drew a grin across his face, he knew he had won and raised his sharpie to start drawing._

"_JUST, your name, sir. Or get well or something along those lines."_

"_Hey this is my art…" he grumbled and began to write on the cast._

_She watched him quietly. It was actually pretty cute. Cassie had been the first to draw on the cast. She gave Sam a rainbow that read 'get well Sammy' across it. Once Daniel saw what Cassie had done, he had to have in on it and drew out get well in hieroglyphics. Teal'c found this all amusing but simply raised an eyebrow and asked something along the lines of "Is it not easier to express one's well wishes through words?" and Sam laughed and had to explain it was just a tradition among friends. Teal'c nodded and took a sharpie and wrote 'Indeed' beneath Daniel's drawings. Teal'c had managed a joke, inadvertently but it was still funny and everyone smiled when they saw it._

_Sam hadn't really meant for it to get this out of hand. By the end of the first week most of the scientists had taken the time to sign it, the entire infirmary staff had signed it; even General Hammond had signed the cast. She couldn't believe there was still room for anyone to sign it._

"_All done." Jack beamed proudly at her foot as he snapped the cap back on the marker._

"_I'm afraid to look…" Sam muttered as she leaned forward to look down at the cast._

_There on the top of her foot was Jack's representation of Sam. A wild haired woman in green BDU's wielding a gun. The words underneath made her laugh. 'Now I can really kick some…butt.' And the small signature to the right brought a smile to her lips._

'_Always, O'Neill' she glanced over at him as he replaced the markers in their cup. He managed to avoid any eye contact._

"_Thank you sir."_

"_Aw well…it was nothing. Now whenever you get mad, just look down and think just how much pain you can inflict with that leg of steel." His eyes were sad and countered the smile he had forced on his face. He placed his hand gently on hers and gave a soft squeeze before letting it fall back to his side._

"_Get some sleep Carter." He gave her a genuine smile and left._

Sam was curled beneath her blankets. She hated being alone, she hated being stuck on base, but most of all she hated his absence. She hugged a pillow to her chest and buried her face in its comfort. She just wanted to hear his breathing. She wanted to lie next to him, eyes closed pretending to be asleep as he watched her fight the urge to smile, while listening quietly as he found some inner peace and allowed himself to rest next to her. Only then would she really sleep and she would never tell him that.

….

**AN: **So this can stand alone or continue, completely based upon reviews. If you want more let me know! I promise I will update and finish my other stories in the meantime!


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